Coming off a disappointing series loss to High Point, No.23 Florida beat No.20 Florida State 6-3 on Tuesday in the first of three midweek matchups with the Seminoles this season. The victory marks Florida’s third win over a ranked opponent and seventh come from behind win this season.
The Gators improved to 15-3 heading into SEC play, while Florida State fell to 13-3 as their nine-game win streak came to an end.
Pitching dominates down the stretch
Florida pitchers racked up a season high 18 strikeouts in the contest, working through early command issues with their swing-and-miss stuff. The final 11 outs came via strikeout.
Junior RHP Luke McNeillie settled things down after Schuyler Sandford’s quick start, tossing 2.2 innings of one-run ball while allowing three hits and one walk and striking out three.
The most encouraging part of McNeillie’s outing was his health. The Milton, Georgia, native has dealt with a lingering injury this year but tossed a season-high 52 pitches in just his fifth appearance of the year. McNeillie sat 94–95 mph with his fastball and reached 98 mph, a significant spike from his numbers early in the year — and he looked good doing it.
McNeillie is undoubtedly one of the top arms on Florida’s staff, and the Gators will need him in key high-leverage situations.
Once sophomore RHP Jackson Barberi took over in the middle of the sixth inning with a 5-3 lead, it was effectively game over as Florida turned to a trio of arms that have looked mostly unhittable this season.
Barberi fired 1.2 scoreless innings, striking out the next five batters after walking the first hitter he faced. LHP Ernesto Lugo-Canchola followed with a brief three-batter outing, and Florida’s closer Joshua Whritenour recorded the final five outs, all via strikeout.
Whritenour earned his second save of the season and now has nine scoreless innings of relief across seven appearances in 2026.
Both Barberi and Whritenour touched 100 mph with their fastballs, and each struck out five straight batters against Florida State. Florida counts on them as two of the top arms in college baseball to close out games.
The seven walks weren’t ideal, but they were mostly an outlier, as Florida entered the contest ranked 23rd in the country with 3.16 walks per nine innings. The Gators battled and made tough pitches when it mattered most.
Five spot in the 3rd
Florida’s bats were mostly quiet against an FSU pitching staff that entered with a 3.71 team ERA, but a five-run third inning gave the Gators enough support to secure the win.
With one out while trailing 2-0, Kyle Jones and Brendan Lawson reached base before Ethan Surowiec delivered an RBI single to left field. Catcher Karson Bowen followed with a single to load the bases.
Freshman outfielder Cash Strayer then lined a single into left-center, driving in two runs to give Florida a 3-2 lead.
The Gators weren’t done. With two outs, freshman outfielder Jacob Kendall singled up the middle, bringing home two more runs and extending the lead to 5-2.
Florida’s only other run came in the sixth inning on a solo home run by Brendan Lawson, his ninth of the season, which traveled 401 feet.
The Gators recorded just six hits, matching FSU’s total, but strung together quality at-bats in a crucial inning.
UP NEXT
Florida bounced back after a tough series loss to beat an in-state rival, a win that shouldn’t be overlooked. But with SEC play on the horizon, there’s little time to celebrate. The Gators open conference play with a three-game series against South Carolina starting March 13th. The Gamecocks enter the series with a 12-6 record.